After the Storm
by ArcticBay
Summary: What would Alex life be like after living through MI6's missions and having gone back to a normal life in America but with his luck of the Devil still going strong? My interpretation of it. Happens two years after Scropia Rising.
1. Destination: NY

**AN: This is my first story so I hope you'll like it! **

**Disclaimer: Nothing you recognise belong to me!**

**Warning: Sensitive eyes be warned, the F word is used in all its glory... (I still put it T, if anybody disagrees, the debate is open...)  
><strong>

It took him less than a minute to disable the alarm system.

It was a basic thing, the same could be found in any house. He then went to the back and started taping one of the squares at the bottom of the window, allowing him to soundlessly break it. The latch was easily accessible by twisting lightly his hand through it. Once inside, he walked softly but normally through the rooms, knowing that walking sneakily was more likely to alert someone in a family house to his presence. Still, he didn't waste time going directly to get what he had come for and, having had no problem locating it, returned quickly to his exit. He was out when he suddenly sensed someone behind him. He immediately dropped, swinging a leg around and catching the intruder's kneecap and causing him to go down hard.

"Fuck man! Relax it's only me!"

Alex froze and suddenly recognizing the fallen guy lowered his guard while registering the three extra shadows who had started snickering.

"What the hell are you doing here? You're gonna get us caught!" he retorted angrily but with a hint of a smile that lightened his words. He shoved to the guy he had felled one of the beer case they had noticed the family bringing in earlier while picking up the second one along with a plastic bag full of food he had nicked.

Right on cue, the light in one of the room suddenly clicked on. The five of them shared a look then started barreling down the street no longer restraining there laughter.

"That was way too close!" Chuck managed as they threw themselves in the dirt laughter still racking their bodies still high on the adrenaline of the chase. The area had been heavily patrolled so they had quickly been pursued by a police car. Luckily the fences weren't high so they had managed to lose it by skipping over a few of them.

"Well let's see if it was worth it!" stated Dave starting to tear at the plastic bag that was covering the case of beer. With a smack of disproval, he revealed the blue logo. "No luck! It's Molson!" A collective groan went up.

"Hey, I'll take piss poor beer any day over no beer!" said Ben while accepting the bottle Dave was handing him. "Cheers Alex!"

"Yeah, you really need to teach us how to stop the alarm system, it's pretty neat!" started Dave. Once the group had all an opened bottle, they cheered and drank heavily. By side glance a silent beer downing competition soon started none of them willing to be the first to lower it. Chuck suddenly finished his, and with a yell turned it upside down to prove it. Manny soon followed but wasn't quite as finished and the leftover sprayed Alex who let out a cry of protest but soon joined in the laugh. A second round was passed and the high moments of the day were relived through a gentler but constant drinking.

As Alex sat there surrounded by people he trusted and lulled by the camaraderie and the alcohol out of his stress, he felt better than he had in years.

It was the gentle rain that woke him up the next morning. Always the first one up, Alex sat up groaning from the hangover. He had puked during the night so the hangover wasn't paralysing him but he was almost grateful for the rain as he hoped it would wash out some of the smells that lingered around their improvised camping ground. The embers of the fire they had started were sizzling as they were drenched in the rain.

"How's the head?" came a voice behind him.

Alex turned, only slightly surprised to see that Dave, normally more of a late sleeper, was up before him. Dave was never one to drink heavily and probably didn't have the head ache the rest of the group would be experiencing for the rest of the morning.

"Don't talk so loud please..." whispered Alex, wincing at the pain implicated in the harsh task of sitting up.

Chuckling, Dave continued packing, quickly trying to harvest the most of their stuff before the rain drenched it all. Alex helped him transport the most of it beneath a shelter with only a roof, thankful that there wasn't anybody using it. The hardest part was to bring their travel mates there. Manny and Ben they managed to wake up and half drag to the shelter but Chuck was proving more difficult. He had woken up with a groan but had simply rolled over now laying spread eagle across the mud, clearly stating he would not be woken up. With an accomplice grin, Alex quickly picked one of the embers out of the fire pit and placed it straight on Chuck's forehead where it slowly build up heat. Suddenly realising what it was, Chuck eyes opened wide and with a yelp he swatted it away. Growling at the two friends now bent over with laughter, he launched himself on Dave.

"Hey! It wasn't even me!" he protested but Alex quickly came to his rescue by jumping and lying flat over the two guys.

"Argh! Get off Alex, I'm gonna puke!" Chuck quickly rolled out of the pile. He didn't do good on the promise but the green tinge on his face still discouraged Alex and Dave on any retaliation rather each grabbing one of his out stretched hands to help him get up. Clapping him behind the back, they stirred him toward the shelter. Manny and Ben had started to shift through the bag of food Alex had stolen along with the beer, but the leftover of those stood well away. Opening a box of Joe Louise*, Manny took one and started wolfing it down while Ben preferred eating his strip by strip.

"What happened to your forehead, you look like a Hindou!" asked Ben pointing at Chuck who rubbed the red welt with a glare toward Alex who threw him a wide smile in reply.

As the rain had intensified in a cold shower, the five of them spent the rest of the day under the shelter trying unsuccessfully to start a new fire to try and dry them off but the wood and humidity in the air thwarted all their attempts. Finally, they spent the night there and only left it in the late afternoon of the next day, as the almost constant rain was still showing no sign of letting up. All of the food and the leftover beer had been finished the day before and there stomach warned them that they couldn't stay and try to outlast the rain. They packed their stuff back in their bags and trekked out the halt were they had passed the night and headed back down the road toward the small isolated suburbs that they had broken in two nights ago.

*Don't look at me, I'm just a line break!*

"Come on, we can just break in another one, and we'll be gone to another city before they even notice!" argued Chuck as they stood by the side of the road, at a crossroad. The group had hit a crossroad and were arguing toward their next action. It was either heading down the highway hoping to find another house close by that they could loot or return to the neighborhood to fill in on provisions and highjack a car.

"Look! We must never return twice at the same spot! Did you see how quickly that patrol car was onto us, and they're bound to be more alert now!" retorted Alex angrily.

This conversation had been going on for a while now and they were at a standstill. Dave, Chuck and Many wanted to go stack up on food while Alex and Ben insisted they would fall on a lot of other places down the road and they couldn't take the chance of returning.

Dave and Alex were both seventeen and that made them the elders of the group. They had the most influence in the gang. Dave was the one who would always be the first to act and while prompt to putting them in danger, he always helping the others and fiercely loyal which drew others to him.

Alex was more quick-witted and would normally be the one to clear up the mess Dave was bound to cause but while Alex was forever prudent, he also had one of the worst luck which brought its lot of incident. Since Dave, Chuck and Many had joined with Alex in Las Vegas, intent on going all the way to New York on their own, there had been a shooting incident in L.A. and a bomb in their bus leaving Salt Lake City. They had also endured a black bear attack in a National Park in Wyoming and, while it may not have attacked them, it had surely been out for their blood. They had also ended up getting caught in the middle of a drug bust in a club in Chicago, that was also where they had met Ben, and had managed to get themselves in an unprompted and clandestine detour through Canada, landing them in the French speaking province of Quebec, though that was admittedly more due to a poor choice of truck to free load in.

In each of these events, Alex had proved to be a resourceful and trustworthy ally. In return, Alex had started to open up more to the rest of them going as far as dropping his American accent for is more natural British one and telling them is real name somewhere between Chicago and Detroit. But he still remained paranoid and the lack of food they had suffered during their trip was what had led to this confrontation at the crossroad.

"I don't even know why we're arguing about this, the majority speaks for itself!" lashed out Dave through the argumentation.

"Manny doesn't count, he's only fourteen!" joked Ben holding the youngest in a headlock forcing the youngest but tallest of the group in a bent over position.

"Ben doesn't count, he's a dickhead!" Try as he may, Manny was still unsuccessful at throwing him off.

"Doesn't really matter how many are against it, how are you planning on getting in if I don't disarm first?" threatened Alex holding up the pair of crimpling pliers that was his best tool to put more weight on his words.

He was highly uncomfortable under the glare of his friends, but Alex still held his end with none of his uncertainties showing on his blank face. He didn't want to risk anything, especially so close to the goal, and he thought ridiculous the anxiety of his friends concerning the lack of target farther down the road. He personally just wanted to get going, to keep moving forward.

Dave scoffed suddenly, breaking the tension and started shuffling through his bag. "Look Alex, I don't care that you're with us or against us, we were doing this long before you arrived and it worked just fine. Just lay back and learn." He finally found what he was looking for and pulled out three colored balaclava. Handing one to Chuck he hesitated slightly between Manny and Ben, but finally handed it to the youngest one, not without any protest from Ben. But it wasn't the first time Manny had done this and his height impressed while Ben hadn't been with them for as long and being the only African American from their group, he would make them stand out more.

Alex knew what was coming from the stories they had told but no amount of backtracking was swaying the guys who had by now started pumping adrenaline. Deep down, Alex could see many benefice of this endeavour that was lost to his mates. Breaking entry was safer and less publicized but he never dare steal too much at a time and he was aware of the trail he was leaving in his wake. If the managed to loot enough from this onetime thing while changing the M.O., it could get them all the way to New York quickly and allow to shake off the detective he knew was not too far behind him.

Noticing the silence Alex had lapsed in, Dave suddenly pulled him apart. "Look, I know you don't really like this method but if you can stop the video feed, you'll be lowering the chance for this to be traced back at us..."

"You realised it's not something I've done before, I don't know how it's set up!"

"Come on, you know you can figure this kind of thing out, it's child play compared to the alarm system's you disable in seconds!"

Alex wanted to protest again but his mind was already thinking up of ways to meet up to the challenge so instead he just gave a small nod which also held the promise to stop fighting them against this plan.

*Still nothing more than a linely line break...*

It only took them half an hour to find a suitable convenience store, held near the border of the town while also in a slightly less residential corner as it promised less possible witnesses. Alex stood outside, looking it over. It wasn't attached to any other buildings. He could see through the windows two doors at the back slightly apart, one probably being the bathroom and the other a storage area. He already knew that there was a back exit from his previous circuit around the building. It would be Chuck's job just before the holdup occurred to pick it open as an emergency exit while Alex's job was to stop the camera feed and Ben's was to hot wire the car they had picked. He would also stay in it for their getaway as Alex stood just outside the door ready to provide backup and to make sure no one was coming. The two of them had been fashioned out with improvised balaclava made of used shirts.

Balaclava-less at the moment, Alex strode in the convenience store convincingly acting as a late chocolate-craved student while noting the presence of a single camera in the corner, the angle clearly covering the entire countertop. His hope that it was a phoney was squashed by the presence of a small red light next to the lens. Picking up a bar of Kit-Kat from the lot and placing it on the counter, Alex suddenly found himself face to a smiley, high school-aged boy who immediately started chatting him up, probably seeking a distraction from the open algebra book waiting threat-filled in a corner of the counter.

"Never seen you around here! Are you new? Have you just moved here? There are a lot of new families that have been moving in the neighborhood recently, what with the recession..." Seeing he didn't really need to answer, Alex started dumping the change on the counter trying not to think of the experience the teenager was going to be having in the next hour, and managing to keep the guilt enough at bay to keep his reactions normal. "... shouldn't be too bad right?" finished the cashier handing him two pennies as change. Alex noted the question mark but was totally incapable of recalling what the question was.

"Yeah! Of course." When in doubt, always say yes.

Alex was out without delay and joined up the group by the brick wall were they had rightfully guessed the camera would be located.

"So do you have the info you need?" asked Dave.

"So do you have the chocolate bar?" asked Chuck in a far more urgent tone.

Rolling his eyes, he tossed the Kit-Kat at Chuck who distributed it while he explained to Dave what he was planning.

He helped him propel himself on the roof and handed him his bag where he kept his tool but the rest Alex had to do on his own.

Using a simple ice pick, he started working on the mortar holding the bricks together by lying down on the roof and attacking the wall. It was slow work but it was barely midnight and he knew he had enough time to accomplish what he needed to do. He could feel the restlessness from the group below that where by now positively bored and grumbling at his antic. Finally, Alex had worked through two layers and was slowly sawing through the wood that was still separating him from the target. Ripping the wood off, the prize was finally in front of him.

It was the place where the camera had been drilled in the wall and where he had seen the cable connections. Pulling some of the mineral wool out, he let out a breath of relief as after a bit of searching, he found the four bolts that signified the presence of the camera and quickly lowered his hand to grab the cables. Pulling on them slightly to free them enough to cut, he almost lost his balance as they suddenly sprung loose and slipped through his fingers. Not understanding immediately what happened, Alex grabbed the cables and sliding his hand along them soon found the problem. Not only we're they hollow, without any cables inside, but they only stood about a foot out of the wall before simply being cut off.

Alex propped himself from his lying down position, quickly analysing what this meant. Obviously the cables weren't really useful but this didn't guarantee that the video was a fake immediately. There was still the unlikely event that the camera simply worked on a memory card or by transmission. He knew the camera probably simply contained a red light working on battery but even if it was the most logical and probable truth, Alex's time as a spy and on the road left him with an unwillingness to leave anything to chance.

"Hey! Are we good to go?" shouted Chuck seeing as he was no longer working in the wall.

The careless shout was what decided Alex. He wasn't a spy anymore; he might as well stop acting like one. "Yeah! Go wild!"

He jumped lightly down beside the group as the adrenaline suddenly came back now that it was soon happening. The others started chattering excitedly, obviously spiked. Only Dave stayed quiet staring at him. Alex first had the impression he knew he wasn't being entirely truthful about the camera but then realized Dave wasn't suspicious but nervous.

"We're going to need your gun..." muttered Dave no longer meeting his eyes.

"You know I don't part with it..."

"And you know we can't really do a hold up with only one gun."

"You certainly seemed to be doing it fine before I arrived." This time it was Alex not meeting eyes.

"We had bats or crowbars to compensate. We can pick up all the rotten wood we want in the garbage, it just won't have the same effect." Alex kept quiet after this. There were a lot of argument left for him to say but all the important ones had been laid out and he knew he had to decide.

Grudgingly, he took the gun hanging from his strap shoulder and, flicking the safety back on, gave it to Dave. He wouldn't normally have parted with it but the presence of his second gun, the one the guys didn't know about on his left side with the security still off, was what had convinced him to lend one.

It didn't take them long after that to put their plan in motion.

Dave was to go first, crouching by the door of the convenience store. He opened it and ran to the counter shoving his gun under the cashier's nose before the chime of the door had even stopped.

"Hands in the air!" he shouted, signaling at the same time for Manny and Chuck to move in also. "Don't ya dare think of doin something stupid! I don't wanna see you move an inch! Now give the money!" Heedless of his contradictions, Dave was trying to make the more noise to keep the employee from trying to think up a plan and simply listen to him. His acolytes helped him greatly in that aspect has Manny started upending the products on the counter and stuffing his bag with everything that wasn't strewn on the floor. Dave during the confusion had moved behind the counter and was now man-handling the terrified high-schooler while Chuck stayed in front with Alex's gun. Finally the case was open and at Dave's insistence the cashier himself started putting the money in the bag. It didn't take long until he was shuffling pennies in it.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Chuck hollowered. "There's barely a hundred in here where's the money? WHERE'S the money?" The boy only whimpered as an answer.

"There's nothing else in the case! What the fuck!" sweared Dave still holding the young man at gun point. But Chuck didn't seem to have heard him as he continued to wave the gun. "All the money! Where is it? Get it NOW!" That was when things started to derail as Chuck punctured his last word with a gunshot.


	2. Leave it all behind

**Second chapter is up!(no duh!:P) I'll be uptading weekly. **

**Disclaimer: Believe me or not, I'm not Anthony Horowitz...**

**Warning: F word, slight gore, and a few hellish references  
><strong>

It seemed somewhat surreal as Alex watched the head of the clerk snap back at the impact. Then he's knees seemed to lose their strength and he suddenly kneeled over, disappearing behind the counter.

_No, please God no..._

He rushed to get through the door but slowed down as he came behind Chuck. He still had the gun outstretched before him but his grip on it was slack and Alex had no problem slipping it out of his hand. Manny, who had dropped to the floor at the shot, stood up as he got disarmed and ran out of the convenience store but Chuck still stood there, his facial expression going from fear to disgust.

Leaving him standing there, Alex joined Dave around the counter who was crouched beside the clerk. He was in a kneeling position with his head resting on the back of the counter and turned in their direction. The left side of his face had been mangled by the gunshot that seemed to have entered centimeters above the eye. Blood was flowing freely down his face but while you couldn't see the left eye, the right one was open and the eyelid fluttered constantly. He was still awake.

"He... Is he going to die?" whispered Dave in a hoarse voice afraid to touch the teen.

Alex heard him but had no answer for him. Desperately trying to recall if anything like this had been covered during his first aid training at Brecon Beacons, Alex finally undid his balaclava from his head and tried to stop the flow with the material. But when he pressed it against his face, the clerk let out a groan as the bone around his orbital, clearly shattered, seemed to give way under his touch.

"We need to go."

Alex tried something else. Slowly lifting the head, he slid the shirt under it and tied it so that it put some pressure on the wound.

"Come on Alex, the police will be here soon!" said Dave becoming more insistent.

There was a jacket on a bench near him so Alex took it and put it around his shoulder without moving him hoping it would help if he went into shock. He couldn't think of anything else so he turned toward Dave and, with relief, they all ran toward the front door.

"The car's gone!" cried Chuck, stopping at the door.

"And we've got company..." said Alex pointing at the street where a police car was making its way toward them. The light and the siren weren't on though. "Back door."

They barreled through the door that opened to a back alley where a week worth of garbage was pilling up. They choose their direction randomly, their first concern being to get the farthest away from there before it became a hot spot. Unfortunately, when they crossed an illuminated street, a backup patrol car spotted them.

"Fuck! Let's split!" screamed Dave as the beacons lit up.

"No!" overrode Alex and the two others stop. "Go back in the alley now! And when the car stops, you don't hesitate, you jump over one of those fence" he said while pointing to his left, "and we'll meet up on the next street" During that time they had started to run back up the alleyway.

"What the fuck are you planning?" asked Dave but when he looked over his shoulder, Alex was nowhere to be seen. The car had almost reached their street. Cursing, Dave and Chuck continued sprinting.

Alex had dove behind a red bin the moment he finished his explanation. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the sound of the siren, waiting for it to change direction. He was no longer thinking of anything and simply letting his instinct developed through four years of experience in this kind of situation take over. The car had made a sharp turn and was now on their street now. Swapping the gun to his left hand so he could shoot while exposing the smallest amount of himself, Alex turned around and fired twice at the car. They both hit the front tire but with the speed of the rotation and the small velocity of his handgun, the bullets went wild without piercing it. So Alex fired twice more this time hitting the windshield at its center. As he intended, the bullets didn't pierce it but two large webs now covered it blocking the view. In three steps, Alex was over the fence and in the backyard of a family house.

Through the space between the boards of the fence, he could see the car that had stopped only meters from his position. The driver had managed to keep it straight so that the moment they were immobilised, the policemen had opened the door and where using it as shields.

"Don't move!" shouted the passenger and Alex quickly realised who they were talking to. Dave and Chuck probably didn't have the time to hop the fence and where now being targeted by the policeman.

He needed a distraction quickly. Digging in one of his inside pocket, he pulled out a cotton hacky sack. In its middle, he had stuck the broken part of a sparkler that left only a small amount of wood before it hit the magnesium part responsible for creating the white sparks. With careful manipulation, he lit the tip and chucked it over the fence. The ball soared high and far so it was in the air a few meters behind the policeman when the ball exploded. The sound was alike to a cracker but it was the fire that grabbed the most attention as cinders and small embers spreaded in a large perimeter.

One of the policeman had dived in the car but the other, with his nerve still raw from being shot at had fired twice behind him before being assaulted by the cloud of small embers. They weren't hot enough to start a fire but the cotton uniform would now be parsed with small holes. When they turned to the other end of the alley, they weren't surprised to find it completely empty. Both teenagers would be long gone now.

*Please read me! I'm a good line break!*

"What the hell was that?"

They had finally been able to highjack a car and where speeding down the Thruway. It was the opposite direction from their destination but their priority was to get far, later they could find a new route.

"Flour" answered Alex who was driving. He pulled an identical hacky sack from his pockets to show it. "It's wrapped loosely in plastic wrap and you only have to stick a sparkler in it. It's not a weird thing to have, it's easy to do and to find and it's got three times the explosive power of T.N.T." he finished throwing the inconspicuous ball to Dave who hurried to catch as if afraid it would explode. As if...

"Yeah, and just as likely to explode in your face..."

"Mild inconvenience. You just need to be careful and it ain't too dangerous." He scooped back the ball from Dave as he seemed ready to chuck it out the window.

Silence fell and none of them seemed inclined to start a conversation. They hadn't confronted Chuck. What had happened had been clear to everybody. Soon there would be a time to question their future actions. They had screwed up bad and they knew it. It wasn't the first time they had been in trouble before but never anything like this. This was prison big.

Chuck had shot but it had been with Alex's gun and the shirt he had left tied around the clerk's head probably had enough DNA samples to fill a bucket. Hey were all implicated in this.

But Alex couldn't bring himself to regret the decision he had taken of leaving Los Angeles. The secrets service had left him alone for a big month or two and then had continued grooming him for when he would be eighteen and could actually be employed by MI6. Of course it had been nothing as outward as what his uncle had done, signing him up for karate lessons, taking him to all those trips and extracurricular activities, but they hadn't exactly been the masters of subtlety they could prove to be during missions.

He was probably the most frequently mugged man in the country. The third time it happened in a month by a gun filled with blanks, Alex had gotten the proof he needed it wasn't his paranoia kicking in. Then his year got signed in a new revolutionary program where they had physical exercise sessions once a day and where the most physically fit of them would have the joy to attend military camp during summer. The last straw had been when the Pleasure's had started insisting he took on weaponry training to make sure "he was capable of looking after himself".

So he had left. He went to Las Vegas, met up with people he could mingle with and travelled in the most indirect route he could toward New York. Alex knew he was still being followed as they occasionally caught up on his position. He had lost them though for a long time in Wyoming and after having been noticed close to Chicago, had escaped by an unprompted trip to Canada.

By experience, he knew what the best option for him was. He needed to get rid of the murder weapon after haven soaked it in bleach to destroy evidence. That could easily be done. He could disguise himself easily enough with what was in his bag. He also needed to ditch those he travelled with, mingle with a new crowd, change his destination completely, and maybe go for a trip in the Arctic. That could also easily be done, but did he wanted to?

He sighed deeply as he left the highway, the gas tank nearly depleted.


	3. Ellis and Pinky

**Sorry, I know I said I would update weekly but never been one for deadline... :S:P**

Alex leaned against the railing looking down to the Hudson River. Around him where a few tourists happily clicking away shots of Ellis Island, upon which stood the renown green lady.

"She's smaller than I thought." Alex told Dave beside him as they sipped on a McDonald's coke.

"She's just far away. Give her a chance!"

The cruise boat they were now on had cost them much of their money but Dave had been adamant on it. So they had booked a tour that would take them around the island and near Manhattan from the river. It had rained earlier that day so the sky was clouded but the air was cool and the feel of the river underneath the boat was refreshing.

It was two weeks after the messed up convenience store holdup and it was their first day in the big city. It was only he and Dave together, as they hadn't heard of Manny or Ben since.

They had found refuge in a motel afterward as they didn't feel like sleeping outside that night and wanted to have access to a TV. They had learned from the news that the clerk hadn't died but was now brain dead though it hadn't been mentioned if it had been due to the bullet or that he had stopped breathing for too long.

"You don't understand! This really changes a lot!" exclaimed Dave as both Chuck and Alex didn't react at the news.

"What do you mean? What does it change?" had asked Chuck in a daze.

"Something similar happened in my neighborhood back in Las Vegas! If the guy ain't dead, even if his brain is, it's no longer a murder!"

"So the charges won't be as big?"replied Chuck quietly.

"Especially as we're minors!"

"I guess that would depend though. Sometimes if the charges are important minors can be tried as an adult." inputed Alex with his knees up on the bed.

"But if it ain't murder and I'm sixteen... I can turn myself in..."

"Don't think like that! None of us is turning ourselves in!" shouted Dave turning angrily at Chuck.

"Look, I did it and I really don't wanna run all my life."

"We are as responsible for this as you are, Chuck." whispered Alex.

"But you're both seventeen, there are more chances that you'll be tried as adults."

"Then it'll be because we deserved it! At seventeen we should have known better."

Dave was no longer excited but looked at them dumbfounded. "You're actually considering going to the police?"

"Dave..."

"You can't! New York is just there! We're only a day away in a car!"

"We could go to the police station in Manhattan..." suggested Chuck.

"WHAT!" shouted Dave furiously. "You don't go to New York just to get yourself arrested!"

"Well it's as good as any station! At least we'll have a nice view from the bars!" sneered Chuck.

Alex only listened as the two others started shouting. He knew his situation was slightly different. Would MI6 use his opportunity to try and enroll him? He had the distinct feeling that if he wasn't misjudging their aim this would be the perfect opportunity for them. It wouldn't be that different than how his father had been enrolled he thought bitterly, expect in his case, the charges where real. If he accepted the proposal, he could barter for lighter sentences for his friend but if he refused, the charges would probably be heavier.

Finally, Chuck and Dave had stopped talking and had sit one on the couch and the other on the bed.

"So what's the vote? Do you two want to go to the police?" asked Alex.

"I guess I should..." sighed Chuck

"I'll turn myself in with you Chuck. That way I can testify that it was accidental, a heat of the moment thing." assured Alex. Chuck nodded in thanks.

When they looked at Dave he also nodded in agreement.

They had decided to stay the day to enjoy the motel for now but the next morning, when they woke up, Chuck was no longer with them and he had taken a third of their remaining money. They had decided to wait and see if he was going to turn himself in. If he did, they would join him. But a week passed with no news and no suspect where brought forth though the crime had been linked to the house robbery and the police were searching for five teenagers.

Ten days after the crime, sleeping in parks and under bridges to save money, they decided to continue toward New York. Two days later brought them on a tourism guide boat slowly circling the Statue of Liberty.

"She's still small..."

"What did you expect? She's already as tall as a small skyscraper!" retorted Alex.

"I don't know, I thought she would be the size of a tall skyscraper!"

"Skyscraper size is good enough for me!" answered Alex quickly sidestepping the slap behind the head Dave directed toward him. Seeing the passenger beside him take out a carton of cigarette, he asked one which he gave with a smile. Dave and Alex took turn taking a puff while lapsing in a silence while the scenery turned back into the mainland.

"So what's next?" asked Alex taking a draught of smoke.

"How about the Empire State Building?"

Alex chuckled slightly. "I know counting isn't your strength but our money is kind of in the single digits now..."

"Nah, it's in the three digits!" retorted Dave taking out a handful of pennies he had picked up during the day.

"Wow! You're rich! Then you can pay from now on!" replied Alex faking amazement.

"Fine smartass, then where are we going next?" He stole the cigarette from Alex's loose grip.

"I say we make some money, if we stay here long enough we should manage to meet up with some others of the gang."

Dave snorted at that. "Yeah, we're bound to end up meeting them, with only a few million people, how hard is it going to be?"

"Well think of it, what would we normally do, in a city like New York, with almost no money?" asked Alex taking the butt just as Dave was going to take a puff.

"Find an honest job, go to a charity center and ask for some pittance in the subway?" offered Dave. They shared a feral grin, Alex letting out a bark of laughter.

"So I guess we're hitting the bar?"

*WEEEEEEEE! Who said line breakers couldn't be hyper?*

They had strolled down West Street, then breaking off into shadier alleys before they made their choice of bar, choosing one at a second story named "Jumanji" but spelled with an "O", so that it was written "Joumanji". As there were no entry fee and they only had to pay half the fee of the table location, they had the money to book a pool table for an hour asking purposely the one that was next to two tables where six men took turns playing on two tables.

Taking one of the cue from the wall and slathering some chalk on the end, Alex observed the group while organising the balls in the rack. They were obviously regulars as they all had their own cue but the levels of the players were only really slightly above average. They would still give Dave a run for their money. He felt though by the group's dynamics that the real contender of the group would be the black haired man that was leaning on the beer support, only observing and jeering with the other observer.

On low tone, he explained his observations to Dave and they chose their targets. When one of those who were playing the closest to them started the game with a weak break, Alex let out a loud snort that caused all the players to turn toward him.

"Got something you wanna say brat?" spat the player that had just played. A he had a tie loosely tied around his neck, Alex mentally named him White-Collar.

"As if I would care to comment that move..." sneered Alex. " Perhaps if you were a ten year old, it could deserve a candy." Alex smiled tauntingly at the adult that had frozen at being so obviously insulted.

At the other end of the table, Dave chortled at their reaction. He had been on the receiving end of Alex's probing often enough to know that the adults where doomed. They took it easier than most though.

"Really? Perhaps if you weren't such a kid yourself you would have been a bit more smart and not have said that and if you apologize nicely enough, you might have enough teeth remaining to go cry to your mommy!" snarled White-Collar but not moving from his place. Alex's smile grew larger.

"What are you planning, to glare my teeth's out? Or to outplay them?" he proposed lifting an eyebrow.

The silence that followed was cut by a bark of laughter coming from the dark-haired man Alex had spotted. "Why I do believe he is challenging you Kevin!" Too bad for White-Collar but as the man had a T-Shirt of The Dark Side of the Moon, Alex dubbed him Pinky (1).

"Well, I admit guilty, I always love to put arrogants back in their places!"

There was no longer any animosity between the two groups. An understanding had been reached.

"Okay, the two of us against the two of you!" proposed Kevin grouping together his opponent and him then Alex and Dave.

"Fine, but you up for a bit more pressure?" proposed Dave jumping in the conversation.

"You wanna gamble with us? You better have some money to back it up!" answered the second opponent as the group started to steer toward their table that was already set up.

Alex scoffed. "Don't worry about that, we've got the gibs for if you ever get lucky..." he answered taking out a credit card from his pocket. It was actually the hacking program he had not given back from a mission that let him corrupt the electricity flow of the alarm systems but they there was no reason to inform them of that.

"So how much? Twenty a game?" proposed the second opponent which Alex mentally dubbed Sidekick.

"As there are two of us, let's make it fifty a game." battered Dave.

The two partners shared a look then nodded in agreement.

"We'll also let you break so you can show us how it's done..." proposed Kevin with a small ironic reverence toward Alex.

"Watch and be amazed..."

Alex positioned himself at the end of the table and calculated the force he was going to put it the first hit. He wanted to snare the big bucks by challenging Pinky after this one so he had to keep a few hidden cards during this game. He started the game with a snap, causing a better spray than Kevin's break but not hitting as sharp as he knew himself capable. It still made an impressive snap and he manage to pocket two balls, one of each kind.

"We'll be taking the fulls." said Alex arrogantly passing to the next hit while the opponents where grinning appreciatively. The game went on much as it had begun. Dave held his own and pocketed a third of the balls but it wasn't a high level play that Alex finished during his third turn.

"You've got skills boys, but don't go challenging everybody, you'll end up chewing more than you can swallow." counseled Kevin while they each gave a share to one of them.

"Ah!" barked Alex still keeping up the arrogant demeanor. "That's something I've yet to see!"

While only apparently counting the money, Alex observed the group who were being easily stringed along. They were all looking at Pinky who was hesitating slightly.

"So would you be up for a second round right now? I'd like to try my luck." proposed Pinky getting up from his stool for the first time.

Alex pretended to be sizing him up before answering with a confident smile "That'll be fine! How about a one on one, you and me, hey?"

"I accept."

"So how much you wanna bid, how about a hundred this time?" attempted Alex.

"How about a thousand?" offered Pinky with a shrug. This finally managed to shock Alex slightly. Since playing in America he had never bet so high but he wouldn't have had the money for a hundred so to take off running for fifty or for nine-hundred and fifty, better to try his luck.

"Yeah, I can manage that." assured Alex after a small pause. "You can break first."

The table was quickly set and the cue rechalked. Pinky took his position and snapped a break that was definitely sharper than what Alex had done. He managed to pocket three of the full balls in the first shot.

"Yeah okay, you can play." Admitted Alex when Pinky quirked an eyebrow in his direction. The other group sniggered at his admonition while Pinky (from the discussion Alex had caught that his name was Frederik but he was growing fond of Pinky so didn't change his mental naming) prepared himself for the next shot. He pocketed the next one without problem but he sunk the white ball on the next try, leaving Alex his chance. The score was 4 to 0 but looking at the position of the balls he knew he could end it there. Gripping the white one, Alex placed it down before flashing a grin.

"This ends here!" he called the pocket.

Pinky laughed. "You sure have guts kid!"

Alex replied by pocketing his first by a hook and on his second sinking two balls exactly like he called it.

Pinky whistled. "You where hiding you're skill weren't you?" accused Pinky but the tone softened by the large smile on his face.

Alex laughed, intrigued by this man. He seemed completely unconcerned at the idea that he might lose a thousand dollars.

"I might have toned it down..."

Alex sunk three more balls as to prove his point. The next one was more difficult as the ball was very close to the edge but not of a pocket.

"You realise you've got a thousand dollar playing on this shot... You sure you can handle that kind of pressure?" taunted Pinky.

Alex thought back at the first time he had played a high gamble game. It had been a game of snooker but the two were close enough and it had been against a egotistical, anger management impaired, spiteful mass murderer who had ordered his uncle's death. In comparison, Pinky and his thousand dollars bet was quite tame. So Alex replied at the attempt with laughter.

"Yeah, I'm quite sure I can handle that pressure." He assured with a smile and sunked the next ball while the white one went in a perfect curve settle itself in a perfect alignment of white, black and hole. Surprised himself at how well the move had went, he went on to bag the eight ball and win the game. A groan went through the group but Kevin still shook his hand the first without resentment.

"I still think you'll be meeting your match soon!" he growled.

"Maybe I should go blind from now on! Or no one else will gamble against me!" proposed Alex gamely.

"Well sure won't be against me that's for sure!"

Next came Pinky. Alex had been observing him so that he didn't make a run for it but after shaking his hand, he offered Alex a two five hundred dollar bills from his wallet.

"How much do you carry on you?" asked Alex crudely holding up the two bills and trying to find out if they were real.

"Small change..." he replied with a chuckle as Alex shot him a dark look at the idea. "Do you prefer if I give it to you in twenty dollars bill?"

"Yeah, I would actually, it's not the kind of bill that are accepted for "small change"" he admonished handing back the bills. Fortunately there was an ATM in the bar so the question was quickly resolved. The two group stayed together after that sharing a beer but close to 2 am, Alex and Dave decided to leave. They descended the stairs discussing excitedly their load that far surpassed any they had had so far. Decidedly, New York had its charm.

"That guy, Fred (Pinky), he must be incredibly rich!"

"Or really honest..." he was kind of shamed that he would have run if he had lost but he had the distinct impression that Fred really did roll on money. They pushed the door but even at 2 am, the night outside was very clear and the sky was more pink than black. The temperature had dropped considerably though without the sun and their clothes where getting far too thin. He knew where he was going to be investing some of that thousand.

"Hello Alex."

He froze. That voice he would recognise everywhere but he hadn't though he would hear it here, in America. Still he answered without turning.

"Hello Wolf."

**(1): To those who get this reference= Respect!**

**Review please! I wanna know your input!**


	4. Going, going, gone

**Disclaimer: Let's look at it philosophically: **

**The one who wrote the Alex Rider series probably has a lot of money**

**I do not have a lot of money**

**Therefore, I did not write the Alex Rider series.**

**You'll just have to take my word that I don't have a lot of money... **

"Wolf? Al, is he a gang member?" Dave whispered to Alex's ear once they had both turned toward the newest arrival.

He had meant for only the two of them to hear it but by a mixture of excellent hearing and a small capacity at lip reading, Wolf seemed to have heard the comment perfectly.

"You friend sees me and the first thing he thinks is that I'm a _gang member_?" growled Wolf with both eyes glaring accusingly at Alex. "You really have become a punk..." The last word had been spat out as if the pronunciation itself was vile.

Alex simply looked at him. He had expected Ben or Jones or a CIA member, Wolf was more of a surprise. Finally he smiled. This was going to be so easy...

"Yup. A fully fledged punk!" he commented turning away and appreciating how much he was infuriating Wolf.

"Stop right there, I need to talk to you!" he yelled striding forward and gripping his elbow. As soon as he touched him, Alex spun around and landed a square punch. But instead of it hitting Wolf, who had jumped backward at the movement, it hit neatly its target that was Dave's jaw. The teen let out a cry at the impact, not really registering that it had been Alex's punch but the latter didn't leave him the time to recover, taking him by the wrist and jumping past Wolf toward the stairs they had just left.

"Fuck, this guy is attacking us! He tried to rob us! Call the cops!" Alex screamed plummeting up the stairs and barging once more in the bar. There was maybe a dozen people left plus the group they had gambled with. At first everyone had simply quieted down but when Wolf suddenly entered, the chairs started scraping as the group at the bar came closer.

Suddenly realising he had been had, Wolf put his hand up trying to calm them down. "This is so not what it looks like. I swear I didn't punch them, I have been sent to talk to him by his guardians" he pleaded hesitating between fleeing and fighting which was a preferable option in his opinion. "Look, he's just looking for attention; I'm not after their money or anything!"

"Who're you kidding? You saw us counting money! You wanted to rob us!" Alex retorted in an indignant tone.

Wolf didn't help his case by glaring at Alex so the group decide to take the safer option and where now manhandling him out of the bar. As they went down the staircase, Alex grinned at Dave only to get once more the black eye.

"Could have punched yourself..." he grumbled lowly rubbing his jaw.

"That would have been realistic... " he answered sarcastically also in a low voice and rolling his eyes. "I needed the surprise factor to get past him, it was the first thing I could think of..."

Dave grumbled a few things incoherently under his breath then added "I still get to punch you when this is done..."

Suddenly red and blue lights reflected in the windows and the two of them paled.

"I didn't think they would really call the cops..." Alex murmured horrified.

"Come on!"

The two of them jumped over the counter both heading toward the door they had spotted behind the bar. Luckily it wasn't locked and the barman having left to see what was happening outside, they passed inconspicuously through. They found themselves in a room that seemed to blend storage and staff area. Luckily there was another door at the end of it.

"It's locked! Stand back! I'll knock it down!" Dave took a bit of a run than crashed his weight into the door. It rattled but stood firm against the assault. Less could be said of the assailant who was now prostrated next to it clutching his shoulder. "Fuck that hurts..." he whispered hoarsely.

Alex bit back a laugh but stood closer to the door and tried to get the feeling back in his body. It had been a very long time since he last did took a karate class but he remembered the feeling of a Mae geri and positioned himself in a Zenkutsu stance with hands held high like before an opponent. Then he crashed the kick into the wood, directly underneath the handle and the door finally caved in.

The two of them stared horrified at the interior.

"A broom closet? Are you _shitting _me? All that for a _broom_ closet?"exploded Dave.

Alex ran to the window and opened it peering his head out to look both sides. There didn't seem to be anything noteworthy close enough on this side of the wall but on the building in front of them, slightly to their right was a black emergency staircase.

"If we take enough momentum we can probably grab those railings..." Alex proposed already pushing himself through the window so that he sat on the ledge of it.

"Are you barking mad? Where do you want to get momentum on a _window_ and have you seen that distance?"

"We just need to grab it before we land on the ground and on the asphalt! And we're only two stories high, it won't be killing us."

"Yeah, like permanently maimed is much of a comfort..." grumbled Dave as Alex found footholds on a ledge of brick.

"Dave, we can jump that far." Alex affirmed tensing his muscle.

"Famous last words Al..." but he had already launched himself through the gap. Alex loved this moment, as his life felt like it was on the edge of his stomach and his heartbeat was in his ears. He concentrated on the black railings that where coming closer His hand spreading out to the limit he actually ended up being able to slam his entire arm across it though it slammed painfully through the elbow as he slid a bit with the force of the impact. His leg shot under the platform but his plexus seemed to absorb the brunt of it. A bit short of breath, he wheezed a gasp then pulled himself onto the platform.

"Oh my god you're mad. I'm mad." Dave was sitting out the window and tried to find a position he liked, but the attempt seemed futile. "Can't believe I'm doing this!"

"Come on! I dare you!" joked Alex regaining his footing and leaving him some landing area but ready to jump in to help.

"I'm am so never forgiving you if I die!" threatened Dave chuckling. Suddenly, behind Dave, staring at them just the other side of the window was the barman, apparently attracted by all the noise. The three of them just gaped at each other slightly dumfounded. Then all reacted at the same time.

"Hum..." started the barman.

"Jump!" cried Alex.

"Ahhhh!" screamed Dave as he launched himself of the building.

As he hadn't really given himself time enough to find himself a proper grip, his jump lacked power. Alex surged forward just as Dave hands soared short of the railing. They instinctly locked arms but both couldn't keep a grip and he slid through. At the last minute, Alex's fingers locked on the sweater. A soft ripping noice announced the tissue had suffered slightly at the strain but it held on.

"Fuck your heavy..." complained Alex grabbing him with his other arm and lifting him up on the platform until he had both feet planted firm and he could get past the metal bars himself.

The clerk was still looking at them open mouthed trying to remember if they had indeed paid for everything but Alex and Dave didn't wait for him to recover. The stairs weren't lowered to the ground but once they reached the half level, they simply jumped the remaining meters. Going down the alley the other side of the beacons, they ran down it, laughing at how well it went.

*Go! Go! Go!*

"So what's your relation with the guy?" asked Dave a few hours later. All the adrenaline had kept them awake for the night but now that the day was up, their first preoccupation had been to find some food. McDonald had grown old a long time ago so they had stopped at a fruit market and left with armfuls of grapes, apples and litchis. They took the subway to Central Park and lay there sprawled in the grass eating their fill of fruits and fresh bread they had bought on the way.

Alex grimaced at the question. "Not sure exactly how I'd call it..." What did he call it? Comrade in arm? Yeah right... Torturer for sure at least, he decided thinking back at Brecon Beacons with a smile.

"He worked with my uncle back in British." he finally settled to say. Not true but close enough.

Dave frowned at this. "I noticed his accent but he doesn't really look like a banker to me..."

"Yeah, he actually worked for security at the bank but my uncle ended up getting shot during his watch and he feels so responsible he kindda latch on to me to try and make reparation but I can't stand him so I just avoid him every possible way." Okay, really far from the truth but he liked the story well enough.

"You kidding?" asked Dave incredulously "What if he wants to give you money?"

"He doesn't, he just wants to bring me back to my guardians because he thinks it's his fault I went rogue..."

Dave nodded in understanding. Everything that involved guardianship wasn't a popular subject amongst them and remained mostly untouched. This would definitely end the inquiry. The rest of the subject was spent on other subject when Alex's attention was caught by a figure strolling toward them.

"No fucking way..." he murmured. Wolf stopped walking when he saw that Alex had noticed him and crossed his arm glaring at him. Alex looked around. As it was a week day, there was only a mother with a stroller near them and he felt where genuine. If anyone else was there they were really good at going undetected. He hesitated but finally got up and walked over to where Wolf was waiting, knowing he hadn't gotten closer to let Alex decide if he wanted to talk within earshot of his friend or not. He decided he didn't.

"How very MI6 of you Wolf, would have expected it of Ben but never of you." He commented when they were close enough. Alex pulled of his elbow the tracker Wolf had put there very early that day and tossed it at Wolf feet.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't be very keen at talking." Wolf replied in an easy tone picking up the tracker and sliding it in his pocket.

"So what do they want now?" he felt the _they_ didn't need to be specified.

"MI6 doesn't want to hurt you Alex."

Alex laughed at the comment. "Want to try that again but with more conviction this time? I might end up believing you."

"They want to help you Alex. You've gotten yourself in big trouble."

Alex had a sarcastic comment on his tongue but let it die as he started to understand what was implied.

"You're suspected of murder." When Alex stayed silent he continued. "They've found the bullet in the boy's body and it was matched the gun you bought in Los Angeles. They also have a video of you fleeing the scene and MI6 matched you DNA to evidence. None of this is in the hand of the police but it has been deemed by Special Ops that you are too dangerous to be left alone anymore as there has been a civilian's death."

Alex gulped silently. He didn't know how much MI6 really knew of what happened that night but from Wolf's tone, he knew the SAS actually believed Alex had fired. His thought got stuck on the last thing that had been said. "I thought he hadn't died..."

The blow came so fast Alex barely had time to register it. He only had the time to tuck in his chin allowing his forehead to take the brunt of it. Wolf was never one to pull his punches.

"Brain dead is the same as dead." He growled his calm front shattered. "You know better than this punk."

Alex understood now why they had chosen Wolf for the confrontation. Had it been an agent, he would already have spit in their face and walked away but Wolf was firm and truthful in his accusation that Alex only stood, ignoring his throbbing head as a soldier that had just been disciplined. That is, until an apple hit squarely the side of Wolf's face. The force of it had split the apple slightly leaving spays of juice and small bit of apple's in his hair.

"Alex! Run for it!" shouted Dave throwing another one that soared over Wolf's head as he ducked in time.

Smilling gamely at the sight, Alex backed off hurriedly and ran back toward Dave, grabbing their backpack and their shopping bags hurriedly.

"Alex!" yelled Wolf making no move to follow them. "You realise if you leave now they are going to up the stakes?"

"Don't worry. I'll keep some apples ready." He cried back with a smile before turning his back at him and running away.

**I want YOU to review (Uncle Sam)**


	5. To be or not to be: that is the question

**Don't try this at home!**

**Better yet, don't try this in someone else's home! I decline any responsibilities if my warning is not followed... (But if you don't, make sure to tell me how it went!:P):D**

Alex lay still on the bed looking up at the crassed ceiling weighting is option. Loyally, Dave hadn't commented when Alex led him first through three different subways, then two bus that ended in the middle of a New York suburbs. With the falling light and the sleepless night they had gone through the day before, they finally angled their trajectory close to a highway where they stopped at the first motel they found. He had lifted his eyebrows high when he came out of the shower with his entire back pack and clothes drenched in water only wrapped in a towel. Thankfully, even then Dave had kept up small nonsensical talk, even as Alex rarely answered. He finally fell asleep before the sun had completely set. Alex would have loved to follow him but knew he had to think of what his next move was.

He didn't lull himself into believing that he had lost MI6's track on him. The only fact that he had no one trailing him after he left Wolf led him to believe they knew where he was digitally. The shower had served in trying to wee sparks of electricity that would denounce the presence of a tracker or anything else he didn't know about. His search held nothing so he had battled against the idea of moving motels, especially as it wasn't cheap. His instincts were yelling to him to leave the city, leave Dave behind and head somewhere else, another continent if he could. New York definitely wasn't shaping up to be his favorite city after all. But he couldn't help trying to see another way out, some way he could stop just running away from MI6 and actually confront them. Finally, the lack of sleep caught up with him and he felt his eyelids close themselves.

When he woke up again the night had settled. Dave was snoring loud enough to completely drown the sound of the highway. As Alex was a very light sleeper, snoring was the death of him and he knew he wasn't going to go back to sleep soon so he dressed in still humid clothes that felt clingy, cold and very uncomfortable. Still, he wasn't about to go wrapped in a towel outside. Before leaving, he took out a few items from his backpack then slung it on his shoulder.

He wasn't entirely sure of his next move but he knew where to begin. He needed information. Luckily, he had quite a few years of experience in that domain but almost none of his usual equipment. It was in times like these that he missed Smithers. But as in the case of the flour bombs, when he didn't have all he needed, he simply had to make it.

Alex left the room without leaving a note or waking Dave up. Though Wolf had mentioned they might get the police involved, Alex doubted they would and if he was wrong, it wouldn't be done overnight

So it was without too many worries that he jogged back the way they came until he arrived toward the suburb area. It was an old neighborhood that mixed family houses and apartments.

While the failed heist was still in his mind, Alex had been reluctant lately to perform any illegal actions. But there were no stores close by and he needed the equipment now. And the prices where ridiculously high for what he needed, he couldn't afford it. So taking a deep breath, Alex chose a family house that seemed rich enough to have all he needed. There were two cars, one in the driveway, the other on the street but as both seemed to lack his first item, he went on to the next house. This time, the GPS he was looking for stood proudly on its stand.

From his backpack, he took a thin rigid metal hook that he slid slowly along the window underneath the rubber that squeezed the entrance. This was a tricky moment as he made sure to hug the window so he could access the locking mechanism but had to stay far enough from the handle to prevent tripping the alarm. There was a moment where he thought this car model wouldn't allow for the passage of the wire but he finally got through to where the window slide down and hooked the locking mechanism open.

GPS in hand, Alex quickly made it disappear down his backpack and locked the vehicle door behind him. He then moved up toward the front porch of the house. Without touching anything, he spotted the blinking light of the alarm system through the front door windows. First Alex passed a small metal detector over the door locating the electronic trip wire that would make the alarm sound if he tried to open the door. He took out of his wallet a very thin white plastic card and, first peeling of a transparent layer that covered it, slid through the crack. This small device was one he had bought in Las Vegas from a dealer. It allowed him to open the door without tripping the alarm but he only had a few of them so he only used them when he wanted his entry to go unaware. Right now, he wanted to gain a few hours before MI6 could identify what he had stolen. Once inside, he located the two items he needed on the first floor, luckily sparing him from having to climb the stairs. Once the door was closed behind him, he took the card with him. It was one application only but no need to leave it behind.

Back on the street, he left the residential area heading back toward the highway. Knowing his next stop wasn't on his way, he took a detour to find it. Finally he came to a Seven Eleven. The clerk behind the counter barely look up when he entered but gazed at him weirdly when he set down everything he was buying.

"I'll also take a pack of cigarette." he informed choosing a cheap but Big Pack size.

"It'll be a hundred thirty and 18 cents."

He stopped once outside to light a cigarette. It was proof that he was no longer as aware of his surrounding that the voice took him once more by surprise.

"Should I be impressed you didn't kill him?"

Alex froze. _Fuck_ he thought, _I ain't ready, this is far too soon..._ he face was still impassive as he turned toward the SAS leader.

"Surprised they sent you again. I was kind of expecting elite black-clothed with big gun team." Alex continued lighting his cigarette. While placing the carton in his bag, he profited of the occasion to slip one of the stolen item up his sweater's sleeves that where luckily tight enough.

"Guess you're not considered as threatening as you think you are." growled Wolf.

"Does that mean you're going to stop stalking me then? Glad to see you brought you're babysitter with you." Commented Alex nodding toward Ms Jones that was standing by Wolf, looking at him with empty eyes.

"It was decided Wolf was to temperamental to perform this mission alone so he is now assisting me."

"Indeed it his quite a feat for you to actually take a step out from behind you desk... Please, if you need to sit down, don't hold back on my account!" he sneered at the black-haired bitch.

"Do you know what day it is today Mr. Rider?"

As she said it, it flashed at him. He had been eighteen for a few hours now.

"You turned eighteen today. The Prime Minister no longer objects that you work with us."

Alex scoffed loudly. "You mean the Prime Minister's injunction no longer stands and you're obviously not wasting a minute..."

Mrs Jones didn't answer immediately, staring at him coldly. "I see that a year older hasn't lost you your immaturity. You are being ridiculous and should learn to grow up. Should start getting yourself a job and stop being such a prat to the society."

Alex laughed liberally. "Is this want you think this is all about? Teenage angst? Youthful rebellions? A search for my inner self? You just don't get it! I don't want to work for you! If you spent half the effort you put trailing me around and attacking you into training someone else, we wouldn't even need to have this conversation! Find yourself a willing lackey now, will ya!"

Mrs Jones stood ramrod straight, the anger now clearly clouding her eyes. "You do not understand you situation quite as well as I thought..." she murmured through gritted teeth.

"Let me guess, if I don't accept you are going to chuck me in prison?"

"No more than you deserve..." shot Wolf from his position against the wall.

"And I will gladly do the time for what I did, no more no less,"

"You prefer going to prison than working a mission for us? While you where almost running around the continent searching for a mission at fourteen? You're brilliant at..." asked Mrs Jones disbelief in her voice.

"And we are well aware how that one ended." cutted Alex in frustration. "You know what I get now that I didn't get when I was fourteen? There is no happiness down that path. Only pain. And one year brought me far enough of that quota."

"Well you're just being selfish!" shouted Wolf angrily walking toward the eighteen year old but not touching him. "You've got the power to stop terrorism but you prefer to stay in your happy coke-induced perfect world and leave everyone else to take care of everything!"

Alex stared at Wolf registering unconsciously that they now stood at the same height.

"Typical of a soldier to believe the only useful place is in the middle of a war..."

"Yeah! Especially if you compare it to stealing and killing!"

"I didn't kill! At least not somewhere else than on one of your precious mission! And in case you didn't notice, there aren't really much career options when MI6 is following you around!"

"Alex," Mrs Jones cut off Wolf' angry attempt to a reply "you know we only want what is best for you. You still have enemies and we only do it to be sure you're okay."

"So that's what you're doing here at 2 in the morning on my birthday, it explains everything! Have you at least brought me a gift?" exclaimed Alex with sarcasm dripping in his words.

"Yes we have in fact," she answered pulling in front of her the bag with a shoulder strap. Out of it she pulled an object that was covered with a black tissue to hide the content. She then strode forward to push the gift in his chest, causing Wolf to take a few steps back at the same time. "Take it and keep it."

Alex had thoughtlessly grabbed the package that pressed in him so that when Jones took a few steps back he kept it in his hands. He flipped curiously the tissue off, revealing a large hunting knife in a leather strap.

"It was your father's when he was in the army. It rightfully comes to you now."

Indeed, engraved in the handle where initials, JR, but he noticed something else about the engraving.

"This is recent. There is no dirt and it isn't discolored. You had it made recently." Alex looked at Jones accusingly.

"It is true that there were no engravings on the knife as it wasn't a custom in the army. I only had it added as I thought you would like to have it there." She didn't even have the decency to seem ashamed of it

Alex glared, perfectly prepared to throw the knife at her feet's to prove that he didn't trust her and didn't believed her. Not to mention that he wasn't to be bought over! But the knife stayed tightly gripped in his fist.

"Well you obviously learned a few tricks from the Australians..."

He looked at the two standing before him. Time to stop all of this.

"I'll come with you but I want a deal to be made."

"I imagine you are referring to the murder charges." Implied Jones.

"Yeah, those. I want all of them dropped and I want there to be no consequences on the others present that day. And I'll want it written and signed by Blunt."

"That shall be done without a problem but it will be in the form of a contract." Added Jones and with a wave of her hand, invited him down the street near to where a gray SUV was parked. Before walking, Alex spotted the still lighted cigarette but on the asphalt. He had dropped it at one time. He crunched beneath his shoes and walked by the side of Jones, with Wolf brining the rear.

The MI6 deputy held the door to the back open, revealing a startlingly white interior as well as two men's, one riding shotgun, the other at the far end of the bench. Alex hesitated at the sight of the two obviously armed agents. He was obviously meant to take the middle of the bench, as either Jones or Wolf was to sit with them. He nonetheless climbed in the back. As he put his hand on the bench for support, he placed it deliberately near the seat crack and in a quick wrist move, slid the cell phone he had taken from his backpack in the beginning of the conversation into the slit of the bench.

The moment the object was stashed in the car, Alex used the support he had to deliver an Ushiro Geri right in Jones face.

Having had turned his head to aim, he saw the kick land squarely on the target. The brunt of the force had been delivered on the eye, probably leaving one bruised eyeball. Mrs Jones got knocked in the door as she tried to evade it. This allowed a clear path for Wolf to grab his ankle with both hands as Alex turned himself over. But Alex's right leg was still clear. He passed it in the circle that Wolf's arm formed at yanking his left leg toward him, causing Wolf to sure forward to keep his grip, drove his heel neatly into the solar plexus.

Wolf was winded but still not letting go and Alex now got assaulted by the guard sitting right next to him. He grabbed his wrist but before he could secure his hold, Alex had brought his hands, palms up into his throat. The guard had ducked his chin down in reflex but wasn't quick enough to stop it. The force of the attack still got intercepted and blunted, mostly a good thing as the full impact in that fragile area could very well have killed him.

Simultaneously, Wolf let go one of his grip on his left leg to grab the right. The moment he felt the touch leaving him though, he yanked his feet toward him snapping them in the space between the thumb and the fingers. The ankle being so much thicker than the wrist, he slid out of the grip and pulled both of his feet on the bench near him. The guard behind him wasn't responding so Alex turned himself on his knees and grabbed past him toward the door. Suddenly a fist came flying toward his face, connecting with his nose that erupted in pain. Through tear-filled eye, Alex saw that the guard sitting shotgun had pulled his revolver but instead of threatening him, was using it as a club. Concentrating on feeling the handle of the door, Alex prompted it open and pelted out of the car, less than thirty seconds after having entered it.

**Well, that's it for now! **

**Unfortunately, I'm leaving tomorrow for three months in the woods with no electricity so I'm sorry to say the next posting will only be at the start of august... Don't despair on me though! I promise to have most of it written during that time so the chapters will be coming more frequently when I'm back in civilisation! **

**Have a nice summer! **


End file.
